14 A New Hand of Cards 1982–1983
In the spring of 1981, Jacques Derrida had greeted the coming to
power of the Left with a more muted enthusiasm than most French
intellectuals. Admittedly, his mood was then particularly dark. In
November 1981, in the major interview he gave Libération under
the title ‘In praise of philosophy’, he wondered what place the
new socialist government intended to give philosophy. François
Mitterrand had been well disposed towards the struggles of the
Greph and the Estates General of philosophy and had stated before
the elections that, if he won, the teaching of philosophy would be
‘maintained and developed’. Derrida thought it was a matter of
some urgency to remind him of these commitments.^1
Ever since the Prague aff air and the direct intervention of the
Élysée in his liberation, the situation had evolved in a highly
positive direction. Derrida had been informed on several sides that
philosophy would not be forgotten. But he was not the only one
to be actively supporting it. On 19 January 1982, a few days after
speaking at the conference ‘Creation and Research’ organized by
Jack Lang, Jean-Pierre Faye contacted Jean-Pierre Chevènement,
the Minister for Research and Industry, while François Châtelet
attempted to set up an experimental department of philosophy
at Paris VIII, the former University of Vincennes that had been
broken up by Alice Saunier-Séité. Eager to bring all these initiatives
together, Chevènement organized a working lunch on 13 March
- This meeting can be considered to mark the founding act of
the Collège International de Philosophie.
As Dominique Lecourt explains,
Philippe Barret, an ex-normalien and technical adviser in the
minister’s offi ce, played a major role in this project. One might
even say that he was the kingpin. Barret was perfectly well
aware of Derrida’s role in the Greph and the Estates General
of philosophy. He knew that nothing could be done without
him. He wanted to involve him in the initiatives of Faye and